Global Politics (HL)
In this piece of evidence, the aim was to analyze the possible consequences of the decriminalization of marijuana in different levels of analysis and how it threatens the security and health of Mexican citizenship; deviating from national development. For this essay, I chose the IB learner profile titled "balanced" as it refers to gathering information from different sources and levels of analysis while giving each of them credibility as a way of creating an accurate analysis and further conclusions. As the task was to engage with the topic of choice, I decided to interview individuals with different jobs/lifestyles in order to get a broad understanding of the issue and the perspectives of different people. Interestingly, besides having a different point of view, the majority of the interviewees agreed that the decriminalization of marijuana was a good step towards development and contributing to building a strong political structure of supporting human rights. While completing this evidence, I learned several things about myself and how to contribute as a Mexican citizen when a problem arises, even though I'm not directly involved in it. In this case, I was able to understand the importance of decriminalization and its impact in different levels of analysis and therefore, I agree to legalize it as a way of supporting human rights. Lastly, I believe that this task will help me in the future by providing me with a balanced overview of how to handle discussions related to controversial topics, and how to develop accurate argumentations without discrediting external opinions.
Balanced
Caring
HL Presentation: Caravan Migration from Central America, via Mexico to the US
A person who is caring displays kindness and concern for others and in this piece of evidence, I chose a topic that concerns me from a personal level, as it deals with the value of the migrants' lives and the treatment they receive from the authorities of their native countries, and the ones they're traveling across which include Mexico and the United States. The Caravan issue was related to the global challenge of borders and the case study analyzes the causes and consequences of the immigrant movement from a global political perspective. This presentation was an oral task, where I had a few minutes to talk about the issue, link it to key concepts, analyze it and support my argumentation with examples. When thinking about the evidence, I remember I felt very anxious and nervous before presenting yet as I had prepared my flashcards and had practiced my presentation several times, I was confident. Right after finishing the presentation and receiving excellent feedback, I finally felt relieved and satisfied with my effort. When talking about the future, I believe that this evidence has helped me to strengthen my talking abilities and how to use a proper vocabulary when using a formal tone and language.
This task was one of the final exams we completed during the last year of high school. Instead of writing several IB exam-style questions, the teacher let us choose one of the prompts to write about it. Like with any other global politics essay, analysis and reflection are key to get a good grade, and therefore, I chose the learner profile of "reflective" as it supports one of the main components of the IB. In this case, my main argumentation revolved around the idea that state sovereignty is an outdated concept since it reinforces the use of hard power, whereas, in the 21st century, soft power has become one of, if not the most important concept in regards to increasing a state’s power and recognition in the international community. A memory I remember when writing this essay is a feeling of happiness and satisfaction since I was able to apply the writing skills I'd earned throughout the course and put them into practice. Successfully, I ended up with a satisfactory grade and in regards to my future career, I will definitely show this evidence to my global politics teacher in order for them to realize how prepared I am to enter a new chapter of my life.
